This Little Light of Mine, Shine Oh Shine

Chapter 39: A Little Sickness Can't Hurt....? (2/2)

Starting over the sick day but with Lena's POV

"How ya feelin baby?"

All Lena gave her was a groan. Lena doesn't get sick often, and the rare times she does, she of course never wants to show it - she doesn't need to be taken care of.

She doesn't want to seem weak. The Luthor needs to hold her head up high, not in a stack of tissues. Being sick isn't an option for her, taking off from work isn't an option, and being taken care of like a damsel in distress really ticks her off.

Years of trauma yet to be undone had been instilled into her, 'fake it till you make it', maybe it would start to feel real.

....Flashback to Twelve - Year old Lena....

"Just smile Lena, at least act like you're happy dammit." Lillian whisper yells while smiling. They are in New York for a family photo that needed to be taken to fill the front cover of Science magazine's addition on 'Biological genius'. Yet another accomplishment of hers being boiled down to being born with Luthor DNA.

Lena was on the cusp of passing out. She was stuffed into a smaller than her actual size dress with long sleeves. What makes it worse is she has a fever of 101 and her lungs can't take the compression.

'Luthors don't get sick, and if they do, no one needs to know'

Later that day after the dress had to be practically peeled off from her sweat-slick skin, she got an earful from Lillian. Her brother snickering in the background as their mother pinched Lena raw.

Not one apology was uttered when Lena had to be driven to the hospital for pneumonia.

"Don't be so damn dramatic, you made me miss my meeting."

Lena was heavily medicated for the pain she had because she accidentally slipped down a few steps.

"Sorry Mother." No matter how much the child wanted to scream, she didn't because she knew that would end with her hands and feet raw.

"Luthors don't get sick, they don't show it. They definitely don't do this." The older woman waves her hands around the hospital room.

"It won't happen again Mother." Lena promises her mother and herself.

"If you want to be a Luthor, act as though you are one. I will not have you make me look unprofessional again." With that, her Mother leaves the room muttering under her breath about rescheduling with the investors.

Some parts of Lena wished that the house workers never took her to the hospital. Maybe death would have been more peaceful, more savoury. And maybe her favourite worker wouldn't have been fired and blackballed from other housekeeping opportunities.

From that day on, Lena learned, she learned a lot. How to be the proper Luthor. She wore dresses too tight as motivation to change. She was careful when walking with Lex down the stairs. When she does get sick, she remains in her room when she can and stays away from anything but a couple sips of water. She preened when Lillian patted her on the shoulder. Silently praising the little Luthor for smiling for their yearly Christmas card photos while battling with acute appendicitis.

There is never a hair out of place, never a sneeze too loud, never a cough too full, never a time where she is resting when she has work to do. "Luthors are perfect, perfect people don't get sick, perfect people don't need help, perfect people are strong. Sick people are weak, Luthors are strong."